Two amendments on the ballot in Florida tomorrow have deep ties to the Jim Crow era. Here’s what you should know from @FloridaPolicy. Thread below. fpi.institute/the-jim-crow-e…
Amendment 4: If passed, Amendment 4 would return the right to vote to 1.4 million people who have served their time for felony convictions. The law was first adopted in 1868. splcenter.org/news/2018/10/0…
Laws like this one were part of “Black Codes” that former Confederate states instituted to fight back against integration and equality.
Today, Florida’s third degree theft law is a remnant of this. The low threshold — $300 — contributes to the 1 in 5 African Americans in Florida who are disenfranchised because of a felony conviction.
Amendment 5: If passed, Amendment 5 would require ⅔ of Florida’s Legislature to approve new state revenue, taxes or fees, or eliminate tax incentives, loopholes, etc.
As @floridapolicy wrote: “Amendment 5 would cement in place Florida’s inequitable tax system and low investment in public services, locking in inequality for generations to come.”
This ⅔ is called a supermajority. The first supermajority was in Mississippi. Around 1890, wealthy former slaveholders coordinated to protect against tax increases. This protected them from future efforts to provide schools, parks, roads, colleges for people of color.
This supermajority still exists in Mississippi.
Learn more about the amendments on your ballot at votesaveamerica.com.
